Hangtown Results

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (June 1, 2008) – After a dominating opening round, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s James Stewart, of Haines City, Fla., made it two for two at the Honda Hangtown Motocross Classic Presented by Jackson Rancheria Hotel & Casino, round two of the 2008 Toyota Motocross Championship Presented by FMF. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto, of Poulsbo, Wash., picked up his first win of the season in AMA Motocross Lites.

After earning the BTOSports.com Holeshot Award in the first moto, Stewart quickly pulled away to the victory while a stellar battle ensued behind him. Privateer rider Steve Boniface, of Corona, Calif., put in an outstanding effort, staying within the top five for most of the moto while Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Tim Ferry, of Largo, Fla., and Red Bull Honda’s Davi Millsaps, of Tallahassee, Fla., battled it out for second with Ferry gaining the edge.

In the final moto, Millsaps capitalized on a stellar run out of the gates to take the BTOSports.com Holeshot Award and despite getting passed by Stewart just a few turns later, made a great move to get back past the Kawasaki rider. Just a short time later, Stewart reclaimed the point and cruised to a 1-1 moto finish on the day. Ferry grinded his way through traffic to second place and a 2-2 finish, good for second overall. Red Bull Honda’s Ivan Tedesco, of Tallahassee, Fla., rode a strong second moto to bring home a 4-3 and round out the podium in third.

“It felt good,” said Stewart said of the win. “I felt really good today. I was just trying to keep solid lap times, racing the pit board and just doing my thing. We practice that so much during the week trying to get ready for the weekend. The track was really tough today. It was hard to get a bike setup. We’ve been working really hard and its showing. The fans were great out there, they’re really showing the love and I think that will continue for the rest of the season.”

In the AMA Lites class, Villopoto was virtually unbeatable and was not passed for the lead throughout the 34 laps of action. He grabbed the BTOSports.com Holeshot Award in both motos en route to a sweep of the overall.

“Three races in a row, I’d like to keep it going and get the points (advantage) a little bigger,” said Villopoto. “I definitely want to finish my last season in the Lites division and win three (championships) in a row. (My competitors) are going fast and it’s just going to take doing the work during the week to stay ahead of them. The track was pretty rough and the warm weather really separated the riders.”

Rockstar/Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey, of Belle Plaine, Minn., improved on his solid efforts last weekend to finish in the runner-up position overall with a 2-3 moto finish. Boost Mobile Yamaha of Troy’s Jason Lawrence, of Carlsbad, Calif., rounded out the top three overall after fifth and second place finishes in the motos.

Stewart currently holds a 20-point lead in the over teammate Ferry in the AMA Motocross standings while Villopoto has a nine-point advantage over Dungey in AMA Motocross Lites.

The AMA Toyota Motocross Championship Presented by FMF makes its way to the Lone Star State next weekend for the Monster Energy Freestone Motocross National Presented by Yamaha, Kicker Audio, and Berkey’s Plumbing from Freestone County Raceway in Wortham, Tex.

Interview opportunities are available to the media by contacting AMA Toyota Motocross Championship media coordinator Brandon Short via email at Media@MXNationals.com or by phone at 951-203-2605.

For more information on the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship, presented by FMF, log on to www.amamotocross.com for live timing and scoring at @theWireLIVE!. Racer X Illustrated will host a new and improved webcast on www.motocross.com, with live racing action hosted by Jason Weigandt. The Racer X Motocross Show on Motocross.com has also been added on Saturday night of each race weekend, featuring practice footage and interviews taken earlier in the day.

Credential requests for each round of the 2008 AMA Toyota Motocross Championship Presented by FMF must be submitted via email to Media@MXNationals.com three weeks prior to the race. Media members interested in interviews with the riders of the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship Presented by FMF should contact Brandon at 951-203-2605 or email Media@MXNationals.com.